Residents of roads like Bornite-, Marico- and Barnard streets in Carletonville are fed up because Intac Global Telecoms workers have damaged water pipes or metres on their sidewalks while laying the fibreoptic cables. Meanwhile, some of the workers protested over alleged underpayment by the contractor at the Carletonville municipal offices on 5 November. They had gathered at the contractor’s offices in Station Street the day before. On 6 November, a group of the workers also gathered at the Fochville Magistrates’ Court and Fochville police station after hearing that some of their Zimbabwean superiors had been arrested for allegedly being in the country illegally.
The communication officer of the police in Fochville, Sgt Elsie Tshonte, confirmed the arrests but said the men were released after someone had brought their passports.
By this week, however, all the company’s work had stopped and trenches were left open on sidewalks in Fochville and Carletonville.
Intac Global Telecom’s operations director, Mr David Chiyemura, did not answer his phone or respond to an email.
Although the Merafong City Local Municipality did not appoint the company, the Herald asked the municipality what it planned to do about the damaged infrastructure. “The contractor and the municipality are meeting this week to resolve the issues caused by the contractor. The contractor is not working on behalf of the municipality,” a municipal spokesperson responded on Tuesday.
